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S35 for Television


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I don't normally do reality TV but I was working on a pilot episode last month and the director wanted it shot with S35 cameras. We ended up using the C100 with still lenses. I'm an F55 shooter who shoots exclusively with PL lenses. I have a few questions:

 

Am I crazy to think that S35 and reality TV are a bad mix especially with the typical run-and-gun nature of a show? I still see value in the ENG form factor and B4 lenses. Or even the EX1 form at a minimum. More flexible zoom ranges and deeper DOF. Not to mention most S35 bodies don't have the physical controls available that ENG cameras have. I pitched this idea to the producer but she said she hated the "flat" look of broadcast cameras. I think she was referring to the lack of shallow DOF. Is this the future of TV production? How soon before full frame becomes a requirement? Sorry if this is off topic for the website. I just wanted some feedback from other DP's that have done some TV work.

 

Cheers.

 

Craig

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I'd say it's more the rule now than the exception. When the C300 came out originally, it moved from interviews into doc coverage very quickly when people saw how much better the image was. But I know a number of very good doc shooters who got fired in that first round because they were out of focus, dutch, and not "getting it." It's a very different way of shooting when the zoom ratios simply don't exist for the format the way they did for b4/s16. It's a lot more physical - moving your feet to get the closeup vs. snapping-in, always checking horizon because of the poor viewfinder/lcd systems generally involved.

 

You may also start finding producers who have been in the industry short enough to only know the dslr "mostly out of focus except by accident" look - and ask you to shoot like that. Much like asking a steadi op to make it "more floaty." :)

 

But no, it's definitely not the future - it's here and even old hat by now. I haven't seen a B4 camera in probably 5yrs except in live situations. The real problem is lensing because pulling your own focus needs different lenses than cinema 300-degree pulls and different than dslr autofocus lens 30 degree pulls. Canon 17-120 and Fujinon 19-90 are pretty much standard in the doc/reality world because of the range, ease of pull and optical quality. F55 w/ 17-120 is a nicely balanced setup BTW and w/ the LCD (not the EVF) it's very usable for pulling your own focus.

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Thanks Jason. I think that's where I was going with this. Not so much the sensor size, but the lack of lens options that go along with it. The lenses are there, but the size and weight get crazy real fast. Like I mentioned I generally don't do TV work so I'm surprised to see that S35 has taken over 2/3".

 

I hear you on the focusing issue. I've only been shooting S35 for five years and have spent so much time learning how to keep things in focus only to be told to let things go out of focus. SMFH.

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Yes definitely here already .. my last ENG camera was a PMW500.. I had an F5 for corp work at the same ..corps went the s35 road alot earlier.. and was/is still alot easier to deal with.. way more control and alot shorter working hours ..

 

Sold the PMW500 after less than a years use..my 4th ⅔ camera.. over night it seemed 5 years ago all the doc broadcast world went s35.. I was quite lucky actually to sell the PMW500.. ENG camera now in pretty much a door stop except some sports I guess.. even now watching the F1 I see F5/55 and Amira,s ..CN7.. as mentioned I had little choice but shell out for the CN7.. as its was the only way to continue working in the same style.. and then getting an easy rig to save may back !!.. thats pretty much the only way to survive now.. although for a recent doc I bought the two Sigma cine zooms.. much lighter and didnt use the easy rig at all.. but you do need to change the lenses of course.. reality TV.. yeah your screwed really now.. young guys running around with CN7,s all day are going to have short careers .. no one watching these programs cares about shallow DoF.. but the producers think they are shooting star wars non the less ..:)

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